Taylor & Lawrie
Ewer (one of a pair)

MakerAmerican, 1837–1861
RetailerPhiladelphia, 1832–1848
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Ewer (one of a pair)
Datec. 1837–1848
Made inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
MediumSilver
Dimensions19 × 5 1/4 × 9 3/16 in. (48.3 × 13.3 × 23.3 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.67.24.2
Current Location
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens
Chillman Parlor
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
Description

The eclecticism that defines nineteenth-century American art is exuberantly manifested in these remarkable ewers, which may have been intended more as decorative rather than functional objects.  Their contours reproduce the inverted pear shape characteristic of Rococo silver, and the asymmetrical scrolls, flora, and putti are consistent with the prevailing Rococo Revival aesthetic. The startling juxtaposition of a Baroque mask, Neo-classical beading, Grecian-inspired acanthus leaves, and the exotic Persian diaper pattern produces a summation of nineteenth-century American taste.

Technical notes: The ewer consists of a foot rim, a foot, and raised body. The mask is cast. Aside from the engraved owner's monogram, the decoration is chased and repoussed.

Related examples: Sotheby’s, New York, sale 5968, January 24–27, 1990, lots 140–47.

Book excerpt: David B. Warren, Michael K. Brown, Elizabeth Ann Coleman, and Emily Ballew Neff.  American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection. Houston: Princeton Univ. Press, 1998.


Provenance[Krupsaw’s Antique Shop, Washington, D.C.]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, 1967; given to MFAH, 1967.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved below spout: TSHF
Beneath body: mark of Bailey & Kitchen [retailer] [Belden 1980, p. 42, a]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Ewer (one of a pair)
Taylor & Lawrie
c. 1837–1848
Silver
B.67.24.1
Salver
William Taylor
c. 1771–1779
Silver
B.81.1
Posnet
John Taylor
c. 1791–1813
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Yellow and Blue White Sail Plant, from the series Plantscapes
Lawrie Brown
1985
Silver dye bleach print
91.449
http://americanart.si.edu/images/1972/1972.167.8_1a.jpg
Lee Lawrie
1932
Bronze
38.22
Envy
Lawrie Brown
1987
Chromogenic print
91.448
Jar
Taylor Brown Pottery
c. 1850–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware
B.2012.92
Jar
Taylor Brown Pottery
c. by 1860–1883
Alkaline-glazed stoneware with manganese runs
B.2012.99
Ewer
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c. 1845–1861
Silver
B.81.10
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Herbert A. Taylor
1906–1937
Sterling silver
2004.1485
Cocktail Shaker
Herbert A. Taylor
1914
Sterling silver
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c. 1820–1870
Silver
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